Head protector

ABSTRACT

For a child or adult sitting in a car seat, a head protector having a cushion body with a cushion back portion and opposite cushion side portions together defining a recess that is open at the front and bottom of the cushion body, with a front opening into the recess that is large enough to pass the child&#39;s or adult&#39;s head and a bottom opening for passing the child&#39;s or adult&#39;s neck, and channel-shaped mounting members behind the cushion body for snug but slidable insertion over the top of the seat back of the car seat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to a head protector for a small child or an elderly or ill adult sitting in a car seat.

[0003] 2. Prior Art

[0004] Various arrangements have been proposed heretofore for protecting the head of a small child or adult sitting in a car seat.

[0005] Head restraints designed to restrain sideways movement of the child's head are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: Welch 4,434,513, Davalos et al 4,790,593, Price et al 5,332,292, and Ziegler 5,765,893.

[0006] Also, Yin U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,472 discloses a head and neck support pillow for use on an infant in a car seat to hold the infant's neck and thereby maintain the head substantially upright.

[0007] Sirico U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,020 discloses a car seat with reinforcement bars at strategic locations therein and a protective frame in front of the seat occupant's head.

[0008] Wilmore et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,991 discloses a pillow arrangement for use on a therapeutic table or a dentist's chair to restrain a patient's head against lateral movement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention relates to a head protector of novel, simplified and advantageous construction for attachment to a car seat to restrain undesired head movements of a child or adult sitting in the car seat. This head protector has a cushion body which defines a head-receiving recess that is open at the front and bottom, at least, of the cushion body for insertion of the child's or adult's head into the recess through the front opening of the recess, and with the child's or adult's neck extending down through the bottom opening of this recess. Mounting means on the back of the cushion body snugly but slidably engages the seat back of the car seat at the top and is readily removable therefrom, when desired.

[0010] Further aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment thereof, illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011]FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a head protector in accordance with the present invention mounted on a conventional car seat and showing schematically the outline of the head, neck and upper torso of an infant sitting in the car seat with his or her head positioned in the head protector;

[0012]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the car seat and head protector assembly shown in FIG. 1;

[0013]FIG. 3 is a view of the car seat and head protector assembly of FIG. 1, partly in side elevation and partly in section, and also showing the head protector in phantom removed from the car seat; and

[0014]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the head protector itself.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Before explaining the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the particular arrangement shown and described herein since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

[0016] Referring first to FIG. 4, the present head protector comprises a recessed cushion body 11 of generally U-shaped or channel-shaped configuration in horizontal cross-section. The cushion body is of suitable soft, deformable and resilient material, such as polyurethane foam or foam rubber, and it presents a generally flat upstanding back cushion portion 12 and laterally spaced opposite side cushion portions 13 and 14 joined to the back cushion portion at its opposite ends and extending forward from it generally parallel to each other. The cushion body defines a centrally located head-receiving recess 15 bounded by the inner surfaces 13 a and 14 a of side cushion portions 13 and 14 and the front surface 12 a of back cushion portion 12. Recess 15 is open at the front and at the bottom, at least, of the cushion body 11, and preferably at the top, also, as shown. The front opening in the cushion body leading into recess 15 is large enough that a child's or adult's head H can be put into the recess through this front opening, and the bottom opening leading into recess is large enough to pass the child's or adult's neck (FIGS. 2 and 3). The child's or adults's head has a close enough fit in recess 15 to prevent excessive movement to either side or to the back, where it would normally engage the back cushion portion 12. .

[0017] The top surface 12 b of the back portion 12 of the cushion body is substantially flat, and the top surfaces 13 b and 14 b of the side portions 13 and 14 curve downward and forward from it. The bottom surface 16 of the cushion body is substantially flat throughout. Each side cushion portion 13 and 14 is hollow. FIG. 3 shows the interior chamber 14 e formed in side cushion portion 14. The other side cushion portion 13 is of similar construction.

[0018] Mounting means for releasably attaching the head protector to a car seat comprises a laterally spaced pair of channel members 19 and 20 on the back of the cushion body at the top. As shown in FIG. 3, mounting member 19 has a flat front leg 19 a permanently affixed to the back 18 of the cushion body 11 just below its top edge, a top segment 19 b extending rearward from the upper end of front leg 19 a, and a rear leg 19 c joined to the back of top segment 19 b by a curved corner segment 19 d and extending down from it substantially parallel to the front leg 19 a. The other mounting member 20 has an identical construction. Both mounting members are of metal or suitable plastic. Each mounting member defines a downwardly facing recess for snugly but slidably receiving the seat back of the car seat at the top.

[0019] As indicated in FIG. 3, the is head protector is readily attachable the seat back 21 of a car seat 22 of known design by sliding the mounting members 19 and 20 down over the top edge of the seat back, with the front leg (e.g., 19 a) of each mounting member 19 or 20 sliding down over the front face of the seat back and its rear leg (e.g., 19 c) sliding down over the rear face of the seat back. After use, the head protector can be readily removed by pulling it up to disengage its mounting members 19 and 20 from the seat back of the car seat, as indicated in phantom in FIG. 3.

[0020] The car seat 22 itself has a seat portion 24 (FIG. 3) joined to the seat back 21 and to opposite arms 25 and 26, which are joined to the seat back at opposite lateral ends of the latter and extend forward from it on either side of the seat portion 24. A protective pad 27 (FIGS. 1 and 3) extends horizontally across the front of the child or adult sitting in the car seat at about shoulder level or slightly below. This pad is on the front crosspiece 28 of a bifurcated holder having opposite arms 29 and 30 which extend on either side of the car seat and are pivotally attached to it at their back ends part way up the seat back 21. The front crosspiece of this holder can be raised by pivoting the holder to permit placing the child or adult in the car seat or removing the child or adult from the car seat. It is lowered to the operative position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 before the car is started.

[0021] In use, the present head protector effectively and safely restrains the child's or adult's head from excessive movement in either direction laterally or rearward, and it provides a soft cushion for what head movement does take place. While simple in construction, easy to attach to and remove from a car seat, and easy to put a person into or remove the person from, this head protector is highly effective for its primary purpose of protecting the person from injury.

[0022] Obviously, for attachment to a car seat of substantially different design from the one shown, the mounting arrangement for attaching the present head protector to the car seat may differ from the one shown. 

I claim:
 1. A head protector for a child or adult sitting in a car seat with a seat back comprising: a cushion body having a cushion back portion and a laterally spaced pair of opposite cushion side portions extending forward from said back portion, said cushion body presenting a head-receiving recess between said side portions which is open at the front and bottom of the cushion body for substantially the full extent of said side portions in front of said back portion, said recess being large enough at its front opening for the insertion of a child's or adult's head into said recess from the front of said cushion body, and said recess being large enough at its bottom opening to pass the child's or adult's neck; and mounting means on said back portion of the cushion body for removably attaching it to said seat back of the car seat.
 2. A head protector according to claim 1 wherein said mounting means comprises at least one channel-shaped member shaped and dimensioned to fit snugly but slidably over said seat back of the car seat at the top.
 3. A head protector according to claim 1 wherein said mounting means comprises a laterally spaced pair of channel-shaped members, each shaped and dimensioned to fit snugly but slidably over the top of said seat back of the car seat.
 4. A head protector for a child or adult sitting in a car seat with a seat back comprising: a cushion body of soft, deformable and resilient material having a cushion back portion and a laterally spaced pair of opposite cushion side portions extending forward from said back portion, said cushion body presenting a head-receiving recess between said side portions which is open at the front, top and bottom of the cushion body for substantially the full extent of said side portions in front of said back portion, said recess being shaped and dimensioned to closely receive the head of a child or adult, said recess being large enough at its front opening for the insertion of a child's or adult's head into said recess from the front of said cushion body, and said recess being large enough at its bottom opening to pass the child's or adult's neck; and mounting means attached to said back portion of the cushion body at the top and projecting rearwardly therefrom, said mounting means being shaped and dimensioned to fit snugly but slidably over the top of said seat back of the car seat.
 5. A head protector according to claim 4 wherein said mounting means comprises a laterally spaced pair of channel-shaped members, each shaped and dimensioned to fit snugly but slidably over the top of said seat back of the car seat. 